What does SEO actually mean for a small business?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. That's a rather grand name for making sure your website gives Google — and the people using it — a clear idea of what your business does.

Think about it from Google's point of view. If someone searches for “dog groomer Whitley Bay”, Google wants to show them useful results from businesses that actually provide dog grooming in or around Whitley Bay. 

Your job is to make that information easy to understand. That means having clear pages, useful information, sensible wording and accurate details about your business. 

It's less about trying to trick Google and more about making it obvious what you do, who you do it for and where you do it.

It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many websites make some of these things harder to work out than they need to be. If a potential customer has to hunt around your website to work out what you actually do, Google isn't going to have an easy time either.

This is where keywords come in. A keyword is simply a word or phrase someone types into Google. For example, a photographer in Whitley Bay might want to be found for:

“wedding photographer Whitley Bay”

or perhaps:

“family photographer North Tyneside”

You don't need to repeat those phrases twenty times on your website.

In fact, please don't. Instead, think about the questions your customers ask and the words they naturally use when describing what they're looking for. Then make sure your website talks about those things in a natural way. That's usually much more useful than trying to write a webpage specifically for a search engine.

This is another trap small businesses can fall into. You might think you need your website to appear whenever someone searches for anything vaguely related to your industry. You don't.

If you run a local business, you're probably much better off being visible to the right people in the right area than trying to compete nationally for a hugely popular search term. A kitchen fitter in Whitley Bay doesn't necessarily need to appear at the top of Google for “kitchen fitter” across the whole of the UK. Being visible when someone nearby searches for a kitchen fitter could be much more valuable. That's why local SEO matters so much to small businesses.

Your website isn't the only thing Google looks at. Your Google Business Profile is an important part of your online presence, particularly if you serve a local area.

It's the information that can appear in Google Search and Google Maps — including your business name, address or service area, opening hours, phone number, website, photos, reviews and other details. Make sure it's accurate and kept up to date.

And make sure the information on your Google Business Profile matches what people find on your website. You don't want Google — or your customers — trying to work out which version is correct.

This is something I think is particularly important for small businesses. You don't need a huge website with dozens of pages just because someone has told you that's what SEO requires. A well-written, focused website with a handful of useful pages can be much more helpful than a large website full of thin or repetitive content.

If you offer three main services, for example, it may make sense to have a useful page for each one. If you work in a particular local area, make that clear. And if there are questions customers regularly ask you, consider answering them on your website.

Useful information is good for people first. And that's a pretty good place to start with SEO.

Read: Why isn't my business showing up on Google?

This is where SEO can start to sound much more complicated than it really is. You might hear about AI SEO, voice search, ChatGPT and all sorts of new ways people are searching for information. Things are changing, but I wouldn't get too hung up on it, people still need useful answers.

Whether someone types a search into Google, asks their phone a question or uses an AI tool, the underlying requirement is much the same: Give people clear, accurate and useful information. There's no magic “AI SEO” button to press. 

Above all, good information, clearly presented, still matters.

One of the biggest misconceptions about SEO is that you do it once and you're finished. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like that. Your competitors are changing their websites. Google is changing how it presents results.

Your own business will probably change too. You might add a new service, move premises, change your opening hours or start working in a new area.

So SEO is better thought of as something you keep an eye on, rather than a box you tick once. That doesn't mean you need to spend money on an SEO agency every month. Sometimes a few sensible improvements every now and then are all a small business needs.

I'd be particularly wary of anyone promising that they'll get you “number one on Google”. Nobody can guarantee that.

Search results depend on lots of things, including what someone is searching for, where they are, what competitors are doing and how Google chooses to display its results. Good SEO can improve your visibility and help the right people find you. It can't guarantee that you'll always appear above everyone else.

I'd also be cautious about anyone who starts throwing around lots of technical terminology without explaining what they're actually going to do for you. You shouldn't need an SEO dictionary to understand what you're paying for.

If you're starting from scratch, I'd keep it simple. First, make sure your website clearly explains what you do. Then make sure your important services have useful information about them. Make your location or service area clear if you work locally. Check your Google Business Profile and keep it up to date. Make sure your contact details are consistent everywhere.

Keep adding useful information when there's a genuine reason to do so. And then give it some time. SEO generally isn't an overnight fix. If someone tells you otherwise, I'd be asking some questions.

This is something I come across quite often. A business owner thinks they need SEO because their website isn't bringing in enquiries. But when you look at the site, the bigger problem is that it's difficult to understand, the important information is missing or there's no obvious way to get in touch.

Getting more people to a website like that isn't necessarily going to solve the problem. There's no point improving your visibility if the website isn't ready for the people you send to it. That's why I prefer to look at the whole picture rather than automatically selling an SEO package.